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Recent Vegetarian Recipes

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A Few Thermomix Recipes

Bread

Black Olive, and Caraway and Onion Rolls

I have several, no, many bread books, which get used to varying degrees. However when I need a basic do-ahead recipe which will be transformed into a variety of uses, I head straight for Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Breads Every Day.

I’ve made any number of variations of this recipe – sun blushed tomato bread, cinnamon and raisin, but my favourites are onion and caraway, and olive bread. The joy of this recipe is that the dough can sit in your fridge until you’re ready…
I like to speed the process up further by cheating – we all know I like a good cheat! The olive bread is made using half a jar of these olives kneaded into the dough.
The onion and caraway contains onions softened in olive oil, and about a tablespoon of caraway seeds.  You will need to add a little additional flour to the dough to compensate for the olive oil.  The onion adds a warmth to the front of the palate, and the caraway breathes cool fragrance onto the back – my personal favourite…
You can add anything you like – and as you can use the dough in batches, you can take out as much as you need, and varying according to what you fancy.  I keep meaning to try blue cheese and walnuts for example.  Have a play – let me know your favourite combinations…

French Bread Recipe

Ingredients:
5-1/3 cups (24 oz / 680 g) unbleached bread flour
2 teaspoons (0.5 oz / 14 g) salt, or 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
2-1/4 teaspoons (0.25 oz / 7 g) instant yeast
2 cups (16 oz / 454 g) lukewarm water (about 95°F or 35°C)

Ahead of time:

  • Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for 1 minute, until well blended and smooth. If the spoon gets too doughy, dip it in a bowl of warm water. The dough should form a coarse shaggy ball. Let it rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
  • Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for 2 minutes or knead by hand for about 2 minutes, adjusting with flour or water as needed. The dough should be smooth, supple, and tacky but not sticky.
  • Whichever mixing method you use, knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured work surface for about 1 minute more, then transfer it to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then immediately refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days. If the dough feels too wet and sticky, do not add more flour; instead, stretch and fold it one or more times at 10-minute intervals, as shown on page 18, before putting it in the refrigerator. (If you plan to bake the dough in batches over different days, you can portion the dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.)

On Baking Day:

  • Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 hours before you plan to bake. Gently transfer it to a lightly floured work surface, taking care to degas it as little as possible. For baguettes and batards, divide the cold dough into 10-ounce (283 g) pieces; for 1 pound boules, divide the dough into 19-ounce (53 g) pieces; and for freestanding loaves, use whatever size you prefer.
  • Form the dough into batards and/or baguettes (see pages 21 and 22) or boules (see page 20). Mist the top of the dough with spray oil, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and proof at room temperature for about 1-1/2 hours, until increased to 1-1/2 times its original size.
  • About 45 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 550°F (288°C) or as high as it will go, and prepare the oven for hearth baking (see page 30).
  • Remove the plastic wrap from the dough 15 minutes prior to baking; if using proofing molds, transfer the dough onto a floured peel.
  • Just prior to baking, score the dough 1/2 inch deep with a serrated knife or razor. Transfer the dough to the oven, pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan, then lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C).
  • Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 15 to 25 minutes, until the crust is a rich golden brown, the loaves sound hollow when thumped, and the internal temperature is about 200°F (93°C) in the center. For a crisper crust, turn off the oven and leave the bread in for another 5 minutes before removing.
  • Cool the bread on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing or serving.

Variation:

  • By simply varying the method so that the shaped loaves undergo cold fermentation, rather than the freshly mixed bulk dough, you can create a spectacular loaf with a distinctive blistered crust. After the dough is mixed and placed in a clean, oiled bowl, let it rise at room temperature for about 90 minutes, until doubled in size. Divide and shape as described above, mist with spray oil, then cover the shaped dough loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight, away from anything that might fall on it or restrict it from growing.
  • The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator 1 hour before baking. It should have grown to at least 1-1/2 times its original size. Prepare the oven for hearth baking, as described on page 30. While the oven is heating, remove the plastic wrap and let the dough sit uncovered for 10 minutes. Score the dough while it’s still cold, then bake as described above.
Black olive rolls
Onion and caraway rolls
Glazed knot rolls

There are lots more excellent recipes in Peter’s book – you can buy it here >

Beetroot

Beetroot and Kummel Cured Salmon, with a cucumber salad

I was at a shooting party recently and was served beetroot and vodka cured salmon as a starter – it was absolutely delicious.  Light, tangy, the cucumber salad adding a refreshing bite.  I found a number of variations on-line which I’ve adapted to produce my perfect variation – it’s a bit more Scandinavian than the original, and a little more fragrant.

For the salmon
500-600g (1lb 2oz-1lb 5oz) side of salmon, boned, with skin left on
1tbsp coriander seeds
1tbsp fennel seeds

1tbsp caraway seeds
1tbsp cumin seeds
½tsp black peppercorns
2tbsp coarse sea salt
1½tbsp granulated sugar

3tbsp Kummel
zest ½ lemon
150g (5oz) raw beetroot, peeled and grated (wear gloves)
3tbsp grated horseradish
2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

For the cucumber salad 1 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and ribboned
Handful of breakfast radishes, finely sliced (optional)
A few candy beetroot, finely sliced (optional)

For the salad dressing

3tbsp white wine vinegar
1tbsp caster sugar
3 sprigs dill, roughly chopped 

Preparation:

  • Check the salmon for any small pin bones, and remove with fish tweezers if necessary
  • Mix together the spices, grinding to a not too-fine powder in a pestle and mortar or spice blender
  • Add the remaining ingredients and mix together until evenly distributed
  • If using a chamber vacuum packer, distribute a small amount of the mixture on the bottom of the bag, and put in the salmon fillet, skin side down.  Put the remaining mixture into the bag and seal at normal pressure.  The salmon can remain like this in the fridge for several days.
  • If you don’t have a vac-pac, line a baking tray with cling film, and place the salmon fillet onto it, skin side down.  Cover with the marinade, and wrap fully in cling film.  The cure will draw out some of the fish’s moisture, and result in a firmer flesh.  To enhance this, you can place another baking sheet on top of the fish and weight it down.  The mixture needs to be left for at least 24 hours, and the colour will develop the longer you leave it.  On colour, you could also consider using golden beetroot at this time of the year, which will give the salmon a brighter colour.
  • Open (or uncover) the fish, and clean off the marinade under cold water… Try to avoid getting too much water into the grain of the fish, and then pat dry with kitchen paper. 
  • Prepare the cucumber by slicing it finely on a mandolin.  Pop it into a colander and sprinkle it with 2tsp of salt.  This will crisp up the cucumber and draw out any excess fluid… Rinse of the cure and dry the cumber (I usually spin mine gently in a salad spinner, rather than squeezing it). 
  • If using the radishes, slice them to a similar thickness on a mandolin or by hand.  They accentuated the pepperiness of the horseradish, and echo the pinkness of the salmon cure 
  • If using the candy beetroot, keep them away from the other ingredients until the last minute, as the colours can leech from the candy stripes
  • Mix together the dressing, and when you’re ready to serve, dress the cucumber (and optional elements) with the dressing and leave for 5 minutes.
  • Slice the salmon finely with a salmon knife – do not put your hand on the salmon, and cut the pad off your finger, as I did one Christmas morning!  Serve the salmon and salad together.  You could also grate chilled horseradish over the dish at the last minute – Alain Passard did this on one dish we had, and it made a delightful addition!
This is the slightly spicier cure for the red beetroot salmon 
This is the lighter and more citrussy cure for the golden beetroot cured salmon

The top piece of salmon has the golden beetroot and lighter cure,
the second piece the red beetroot and slightly spicier cure.

The top piece of salmon has the golden beetroot and lighter cure,
the second piece the red beetroot and slightly spicier cure.

Restaurant

Plateau, Canary Wharf

Plateau in Canary Wharf has always been a bit of a stalwart in the Wharf’s firmament, though arriving somewhat later than many of the restaurants.  It boasts good views over the Wharf, a bar, grill, restaurant, and a glass encased kitchen which acts as a room divider.  I’d eaten endlessly in Plateau when I lived in the Wharf, but hadn’t been back for some time – certainly not in the time of Allan Pickett, the current Head Chef.  OboTheClown (sic), Valerie and I were looking for somewhere to meet up, and the one thing we all know the Wharf has is parking, very good transport links, and lots of eateries.  It seemed like a good opportunity to revisit Plateau.

I began with an excellent crab salad, packed full of flavour from the brown crab, with the white crab meat adding a light delicate sweetness.  The grapefruit adds acidity, and the watercress, salad and radish a peppery but refreshing bite.

Cornish crab salad, pink grapefruit and brown crab mayonnaise

The rabbit loin was full of flavour, but a tad dry for me (we were eating after 2.30pm for lunch, which may just have had an impact), but the confit was absolutely delicious.  All of the garnishes worked perfectly with the rabbit, the charred shallots adding a bitter-sweet note, and the soubise adding an umami depth to the dish.

Loin & confit of rabbit, white onion soubise, roast cauliflower and jus gras

Couldn’t miss out dessert, especially when there were so many offerings!  I went for the chocolate delice, as I’m working on a recipe at the moment and am looking for variations.  This one was very rich and deep, and the coconut ice a perfect foil adding a different level of sweetness – the passionfruit puree spikes the palate and offsets some of the richness.

Marquise of bitter chocolate, coconut sorbet and passion fruit

Overall the food was excellent, though I found the service a little haphazard.  I rather suspect people remember the food, but are too busy with their client lunch to focus on the minutiae of the service. Obo said his lamb was exquisite, some of the best he’d had, and Valerie liked her rabbit…  I definitely want to try the grill now that I’ve realised they have a Josper grill, and we will return.

Plateau
4th Floor Canada Place,
Canada Square,
Canary Wharf,
London E14 5ER

Plateau on Urbanspoon

Chocolate

Chocolate Fondant

Chocolate fondant, the nemesis of many a Masterchef contestant!  I’ve no idea why they will insist on trying to make a fondant without choosing a recipe which guarantees success.  This recipe by the charming Mark Lloyd is delicious (I had it at his pop-up in London), and it’s always struck me as more likely to succeed because of the addition of the liquid glucose.  I can assume you it works perfectly!

Ingredients
75g unsalted butter, cut into dice
115g dark, dark chocolate (72%) , broken into even chunks
50mls or large tablespoon of liquid glucose, just slightly warmed
2 large, free range eggs, beaten to break the yolks
45g of Plain Flour

Method

  • Melt together the chocolate and butter over a pan of simmering water, making sure the water is gently simmering and isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl…
  • In a bowl or food processor, whisk the eggs and glucose together until mixed completely.
  • Now whisk in the flour, then add the melted butter and chocolate, keep stirring until the mix is even coloured.
  • When you are ready to cook them have you oven set at 190c and ¾ fill your frozen mould, gently tap to remove any air bubbles and bake for 7-8 minutes, remove from the oven, leave them for a minute to relax, then place the plate over the mould, tip over and they should turn out out, now get them to the table quick as there is nothing worse than bursting them before they get there!

Mixing the glucose, eggs and melted chocolate

Fill the dariole mould 3/4 full, having
coated it twice in melted butter and cocoa powder

Leave the fondant for one minute in its mould, before turning out 

Et voila, oozing unctuous chocolate, pouring from a crisp shell

Recipe

Carrot Cup-Cakes with Cream Cheese Fosting…

I’ve been wanting carrot cake for ages – not entirely sure why – but I came across this recipe by the lovely Dan Leppard, and thought they were exactly what the doctor ordered.   If you get your kids to do the grating, you can have them up and ready in no time at all :0)

Ingredients
275g/9¾oz caster sugar
200ml/7fl oz sunflower oil
4 medium free-range eggs
about 300g/10½oz grated carrot, a little more or less is fine
up to 150g/5½oz nuts or dried fruit (optional) [I put in 100g of pecans, finely chopped]
225g/8oz spelt or wholemeal flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tbsp cocoa powder

For the cheese frosting
125g/4½oz unsalted butter, softened
125g/4½oz full-fat cream cheese
275g/9¾oz icing sugar
edible decorations (such as sugar-paste carrots or mini-chocolateEaster eggs), to finish

Preparation method:

  • Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line the pockets of a muffin tray with muffin cases.
  • Beat the sugar, oil and eggs in mixing bowl until smooth, then stir in the grated carrot and, if you like, up to 150g/5½oz chopped nuts, dried fruit, or a mixture of both.
  • In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, spices and cocoa so that they’re evenly mixed, then tip this into the carrot mixture and stir well.
  • Fill the muffin papers to about two-thirds full, then bake for about 25 minutes, or until a skewer poked in comes out almost clean.
  • For the frosting, make sure the butter is soft, then, using a whisk or electric mixer, beat it with the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth and light.
  • Stir in the icing sugar with a spoon until it begins to come together, then whisk again briefly until light and smooth. Pipe or spoon blobs of the frosting on each cold cupcake. Decorate with sugar-paste carrots or, say for Easter, with mini chocolate Easter eggs.
I popped my mixture into fairly large muffin cases, and they took the full 25 minutes.  I also made my frosting with some of my thermomix meringue icing, and some cream cheese.  They are utterly perfect. I know Dan has another recipe for a complete cake with different spicing, but this will be the one I use in future.

 There are further carroty recipes in Dan’s book >

Dan’s Cup-Cakes, a little more dainty than my offering :0)

Philip Howard

Philip Howard’s Foie Gras Ballotine…

For well over a decade The Square has been one of our favourite restaurants.  The chef-proprietor is Philip Howard – a very talented, if mercurial chef, and The Square has held two michelin stars since 1998. So you can imagine that I couldn’t have been happier when The Square cookbook finally thudded it’s way through my door…  

I’d actually waited for over a year for it to arrive, and the anticipation was palpable.  I was absolutely delighted to find a number of signature dishes in the book – including one of my favourites – the foie gras ballotine. One of us will invariably order when dining there, and it had to be the first recipe I’d try from the book.  Actually, it turned out to be a very simple recipe, with absolutely outstanding results – it’s not the cheapest thing to prepare, but for a feast I absolutely urge you to have a go…
Philip gives instructions on how to de-vein the foie gras.  There’s also an excellent description with photographs in the Club Gascon book by Pascal Aussignac. 

I’d actually purchased duck foie gras which has already been deveined, so I skipped these parts of the recipe.


Ingredients:

Foie Gras
2 lobes of fresh foie-gras, weighing about 750g in total
1.5kg rock salt

Golden Raisin Purée
200ml apple juice
300g golden raisins
100g caster sugar
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Camomile, apricot and sauternes jelly
250g caster sugar
150g ripe apricots, halved and stoned
10g camomile tea
20g acacia honey
6 gelatine leaves
50ml Sauternes

To serve
Brioche

Method:
Each lobe of foie gras will have a larger and smaller piece.  Carefully prise these apart and cut the connecting vein to separate them completely.  Scatter a third of the salt over the base of a dish.  Gently place the lobes on the salt and press lightly. Cover them with the remaining salt, ensuring the foie gras has contact with the salt. Leave to cure at room temperature for three hours.

Curing the foie gras in sea-salt
Curing the foie gras in sea-salt

De-Veining the Foie Gras

Gently life the foie gras out of the salt; it should now be soft and supple.  Rinse under cold running water, not excessively, but ensuring no salt remains in the creases and crevices.  Pat the foie gras dry.  Each piece has a network of veins and arteries concealed within it and, while it is soft, it is relatively easy to excavate them with a butter knife or smallish blunt knife.  Start with the two smaller pieces.  The process is intrusive and do not worry of you feel you are damaging the liver – this is inevitable, but in all the manoeuvring of the flat knife the underside of the foie gras will remain intact.  Try not to scrape past the boundaries of the edges of the foie gras.  Two main arteries enter the smaller piece of foie gras, one in the centre of the upper side and the other at one end.  Use your fingers to locate these and, starting with the one in the centre, pinch the artery, raise it gently and, using the knife, methodically scrape away the foie gras to reveal the network of arteries that run into the liver from this point. Continue to hold the main artery and, when you have unearthed the finer ones, pull slightly harder, teasing underneath the tips of the arteries until one by one they pull away and uproot themselves from the liver.  Discard the artery.  Now pinch the main artery where it enters the end of the lobe.  This one fans out underneath the first network and spreads its capillaries to the sides and other end.  Gently scrape the knife against this main tube and follow it down towards the other end, revealing it and its offshoots as you go.  Repeat the same process as above to remove this slightly larger network.  Some arteries may snap; gentle investigation with the knife will reveal them and they can simply be pulled out with tweezers.  Whilst the foie gras is opened out, season the exposed centre with a little salt and pepper, fold the outside towards the centre in an attempt to reshape it, then gently transfer it to a tray and set aside in a cold place.   Repeat for the smaller piece.  Follow a very similar process for the two larger pieces of foie gras.  Again, one artery enters the middle of the lobe and the other the thick end and they fan out in a similar fashion to those in the smaller lobe.  Once all the foie gras has been de-veined, put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes, to firm it up to the point where it can be handled.

[Now you know why I bought some de-veined foie gras!!!]

Lay a sheet of cling film out on the work surface so it is running away from you. Repeat with the second length, ensuring it overlaps the first by about 10cm. Similarly lay 2 more sheets on top of the first to yield a large sheet of double-thickness cling film.  Place one large and one small piece of the foie gras in the middle, towards the end near you, and roll it up in a tight, sausage-like ballotine.

Once cured, the foie gras is softer and more malleable

Roll the foie gras into a ballotine

Secure with one end with a piece of string. Hold the other end of cling film and roll the ballotine along the length of the work surface – this will tighten the roll. Secure the second end with a piece of string. Repeat with the the other 2 pieces of foie gras. [I put the smooth surface on the bottom of the parcel, to ensure that when rolled up it would give a cleaner edge]

Fill a large container with iced water, lower the ballotines and leave them for 2 hours. Transfer to the fridge and leave to set overnight.

  
The ballotine needs to be iced for two hours, 
and then set in the fridge overnight

Raisin purée

Bring the apple juice to a simmer, pout it on to the raisins and leave to soak overnight. The next day, drain, reserving the apple juice. Put the sugar and 25ml water in a heavy-based pan and place over a high heat. Cook until the water evaporates and the sugar starts to caramelise. Swirl the pan carefully and when the sugar has turned a right golden colour, add the raisins and vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to a blender and blend to a smooth purée, adding a little of the reserved apple juice if it is too thick to churn in the machine. Pass through a fine sieve, transfer to a squeezy bottle and set aside. 

Camomile, apricot and Sauternes jelly 

Place the sugar in a heavy-based pan and cover with 250ml water. Please over a high heat and bring to the boil. Add the apricots, turn the heat down to return it to a base simmer., then cover and cook for 15 minutes, until the apricots are soft. Stir in the camomile tea, remove from the heat and leave to cool. Drain through a colander into a bowl and them through a fine sieve into a saucepan. Discard the apricots. Ad the honey to the pan and return to the boil for 30 seconds. Turn off the hear. Soak the gelatine in cold water for about 5 minutes, until softened. Remove from the water, add to the pan and whisk briefly until dissolved. Stir in the Sauternes, then pour into a bowl and leave to cool. Cover and chill.

To serve 

Lightly toast the brioche. Using a knife dipped in hot water, cut 16 slices of foie gras from the ballotines, each about 8mm thick. Peel of the cling film. Scoop 16 dessertspoons of jelly from the bowl and set aside on a chilled plate or tray. Lay out 8 large chilled plates. Place 2 slices of ballotine on each plate and sit a scoop of jelly alongside each. Garnish the plates with several 1cm dots of raison purée.

Serve immediately, while still cool, with toasted brioche on the side.

The finished product, absolutely delicious!

Yes I cheated – I didn’t have time to make the jelly and the purée, but I did have some excellent F&M Honey and Sauternes savour in the fridge, which actually though a little dense, worked perfectly.

You can find more fabulous recipes in The Square cookbook, and the Club Gascon book has a whole section dedicated to foie gras recipes. >

Fish

Steamed turbot, crushed potatoes with crab, and buerre noisette…

My on-going lack of a gas supply has resulted in me turning to some alternative methods of cooking.  I wanted to pan-fry some turbot, in a loose tribute to Tony Fleming’s dish, but actually as his was steamed, it suddenly motivated me to get the steamer out of the cupboard – I’m quite sure it’s not even been used a dozen times – but now it was going to come into it’s own!  Needless to say the children had eaten all my lovely tomatoes – so the sauce vierge was also going out of the window.  I swapped over to a beurre noisette and capers – and here you have it…

The potatoes would apparently take 45 minutes in a steamer (45 minutes ?!?!?!), and the thickness of the turbot looked as though it would take 15 minutes.

I cooked the buerre noisette on a portable induction hob, ensuring that the butter had gone to a golden colour – then throw in some capers – and in my case, a little white balsamic vinegar, my new addiction.

The potatoes were crushed with a little white crab meat, and some sorrel and butter….

Overall, actually pretty quick, extremely effective and the steamer may find a place slightly higher in my list of gadgets than previously…

 
 

Baking

Creme Patisserie [Thermomix]

Whenever people ask me what I make in my Thermomix, the first thing that springs to mind is flawless, effortless creme patisserie.  It’s just ridiculously easy in a Thermo, and rather time consuming when made in the conventional way.  Once you have creme patisserie, you can make perfect fruit tarts, glorious soufflés and immaculate pain au raisin!

Ingredients:

300ml full fat milk
60g unrefined caster sugar
30g unsalted good quality butter
30g plain flour
3 free range egg yolks
the seeds from 1 vanilla pod
pinch of salt

 

Method:

  • Put all the ingredients into the Thermomix bowl and cook for 7 minutes at 90C, speed 4.
  • Give it a quick whizz at the end to ensure it’s smooth, then pour into a bowl and cover with cling film until it’s cool.   There’s also a pistachio creme patisserie on my PK Pistachio Souffle recipe.
  • Yes – that’s it!  Keep it in your fridge until you require it.
Oh. And if you’re stupid enough to stick in a block of quite cool butter, do put the lid on properly and start the machine quite slowly.

1 Michelin Star

Tom Kitchin, Edinburgh

Crudites, with a blue cheese dip

We met Tom Kitchin at the Cube pop-up earlier in the year, and were seriously impressed by both the simplicity of his dishes, and the complexity of his flavours.  Tom has years of classical training, and brings those skills to bear on the excellent seasonal produce close to his restaurant in Leith.  Indeed such is the pride in the provenance of produce that diners are presented with a little map of Scotland detailing exactly where ingredients have been sourced…

We were in Scotland to shoot, and really wanted to take our American chums to Tom’s – they’re massive game fans, foodies and have travelled extensively in Scotland.  I was travelling with my guns, and Kristen had nearly not been allowed on her flight, so by the time we met up in the bright glass-ceilinged bar we were all a little delirious with relief.  Fortunately the manager, Holly Napoli took us under her wing, soothed our ruffled feathers and provided refreshment.  We all chose the game tasting menu – it seemed the most appropriate selection given our trip – though I couldn’t help eyeing up all the gorgeous dishes of spoots being delivered around the restaurant – they were one of the highlights of our Cube dinner.

We began with a perfect pheasant consommé, clear, scented, highly flavoured, savoury and light.  It’s impossible to describe the flavour, but there was a very slight nod to ‘stuffing’, so that the consommé immediately made me think of Willy Wonka – you’re given one thing, but it tastes of a whole meal – utterly delicious!  It was dressed with a disk of pheasant, grapes, apple shards, a celeriac cream, and a crisp shard of pancetta.  The fruit provided a bright and fresh note, with just a touch of acidity, and the bacon a little salty hit… A very lovely umami combination which I couldn’t help thinking would make the perfect starter on Christmas Day.

Jellied consommé  of Blackford Estate pheasant, served with celeriac cream, apple, and crispy bacon

Then a venison carpaccio – the venison from the Wilton estate in Midlothian. The meat was clean, tender, full of flavour, and served with cubes of apple and croutons for texture and contrast, micro herbs, toasted pumpkin seeds, autumn vegetables, hazelnuts and a light, bright herb cream.  Again an excellent combination of textures, flavours, and actually, temperatures.

Carpaccio of venison, with autumn vegetables and a herb cream

In a nod to his mentor, Pierre Koffman, the next dish was a game pithivier.  I’ve had Mr Koffman’s pithivier, and this was just as delicious.  The filling included venison, mallard, and woodcock, and was served with a game jus, caramelised quince, and a quince puree.  The pastry was perfectly crisp, and gave way to a dense, meaty filling – the not too-sweet quince acted as a perfect foil for the rich meat.

Game pithivier served with caramelised quince and quince compote

The next dish of mallard left us all pretty speechless.  The meat was barely cooked, and served on top of a endive tart.  My views on endive vary according to the dish, but here the caramelised bitter-sweet endive perfectly, perfectly complimented the duck, with its sweet beetroot and sour orange sauce.  Again a dish had a foot in each sensory camp – bitter, sweet, sour, savoury, and a tiny hit of salt – the assembly of the dish undertaken with complete precision and balance.  Kristen, who’s father is a massive hunter, kept saying that she wished she’d grown up eating game this way – apparently everything in her childhood had to be crumbed and fried – even elk… The mind boggles…

Roasted mallard with an endive tart, and an orange and beetroot sauce

The most challenging dish for me was definitelty the woodcock, though I have eaten it before. I shot my first woodcock last year in Scotland, and the chef had pan-fried it (and a couple of others) for us all, very much like pigeon.  In my conversations with Tom I’d promised to take on the full, traditional dish. The innards are chopped and served on a slice of toast, with the breast barely cooked on top – the head is then served on top of this, and the diner is invited to scoop out the brain.  It’s accompanied by a celeriac puree and root vegetables.  All of this was utterly delicious, but far more challenging for me personally was the salmis sauce – the remaining body parts are effectively crushed to make the sauce – a sauce so intensely meaty that I found it a little overwhelming.  Having said that – the others absolutely loved it.  And in case you’re wondering, the brain pops right out, like a miniature human brain, intact and exactly as you would imagine.  The flavour and texture are quite creamy, and you’re encouraged to eat that piece first, so that you can appreciate the flavour – do give it a go!

Woodcock, with parsnip, celeriac and chestnut 

Our final meat dish was a hare à la Royale – served with pumpkin puree, parsnip chips, chanterelles, salsify, wild watercress and pumpkin.  The meat is slowly cooked in jus and enriched with foie gras, blood and truffles, and is topped with a loin of hare.  The whole dish is incredibly rich, but is very much the climax of the meaty menu. 

Hare à la Royale, with winter chanterelles

The palate cleanser of an Earl Grey sorbet is a welcome transition out of the main courses and into dessert – light, delicate, and fragrant, with a tiny piece of confit orange peel providing a little sweet and sour.

Earl Grey sorbet

Dessert was an entirely unexpected pumpkin cheesecake, spiked with cinammon, and served with toasted pumpkin seeds, candied pecans, and a chocolate sorbet. Many years ago the 11yo had convinced me to make her a pumpkin pie, and it was so revolting that I’ve not eaten a pumpkin dessert since. With the slightly sour edge to the filling, and the fragrant cinnamon, this was absolutely delicious.     Kristen is bringing me her favourite pumpkin puree from the US for our shooting rematch in a fortnight – so I’ll definitely be making this as a tribute dish.

Pumpkin cheesecake, with candied pecans, pumpkin seeds and chocolate sorbet
Petit fours: chocolate truffle, macaron, fudge, carrot cake

The cooking at Tom Kitchin’s is very accomplished, grown-up and complete – ingredients are allowed to shine, and are treated with respect.  The staff are charming, very well informed about the dishes, and attentive.  This is undoubtedly one of the most memorable meals we’ve eaten, and we can’t wait to return.

The Kitchin:   78 Commercial Quay, Leith EH6 6LX   (0131) 555 1755

1 Michelin Star

Truffles at Alyn Williams…

Forget Keat’s ‘time of mellow fruitfulness‘, I want his ‘season of mists’.  For me it signifies a time of abundant fungi, and particularly truffles. I look forward to fresh alba truffles from Piedmont, and black truffles from Périgord…  I’ve been using summer truffles for months, and can’t wait for some of their more heavily scented cousins to arrive… Until the supply kicks-in in earnest, Hubby and I have been seeking out the first of the new season offerings on Alyn Williams‘ truffle tasting menu.

Alyn has fed me so many firsts this year, and is the only chef who’s had me buying gulls eggs, and eel, to cook at home – that’s my idea of an inspirational cook.  As a result we were delighted when he received his first Michelin star recently, and won the National Chef of the Year competition a few days later

On this occasion the room was full of truffle aficionado’s – though this shouldn’t put you off – a truffle tasted for the first time is just as enjoyable as the last… There’s something in the scent, the (almost) melt-in-the-mouth texture which will leaves you wanting more.  Truffles are rumoured to be addictive, but apparently some people are just more susceptible to their charms than others… Here the dishes were so varied that it wasn’t a case of sensory overload, but of a steady appreciation of precious and highly seasonal ingredients.

Sweetcorn might seem an unusual vehicle for truffles, but having had sweetcorn chowder spiked perfectly with lemongrass at Eleven Madison Park, I’ve come to appreciate its sweet simplicity anew. There was a smooth silky sweetcorn puree beneath the ravioli, and a scattering of crunchy fresh kernels.  The scallop ravioli itself was light and delicate, with shaved alba truffle on top.

Scallop ravioli, sweet corn, white truffle

Jerusalem artichoke panna cotta is smooth and silky, with a rich dense foie grass mousse piped on top – both have earthy deep flavours, and the truffle and lemon compote on the glass provide a fragrant highlight to the two components.  Interestingly the pairing of foie gras and artichoke brings out a green note in the panna cotta, a contrast which was literally mouth-watering – a great play with umami flavours.

Foie gras mousse, Jerusalem artichoke, black truffle, chickweed

The quail breast was perfectly cooked, pink, and the legs kofta were delicately spiced with dukka (an Arabic or Egyptian spice mixture).  The veloute, again rich and earthy – echoed the continuing autumnal theme – but also echoing the sweetness of the sauternes preserved alba truffles.

Spiced quail, chestnut gnocchi, pumpkin velouté, 
marigold flowers and preserved white truffle 

A variation of the smoked egg has been on the menu before, and Alyn’s truffled soldiers were one of the first things I ate at the restaurant when it opened. Here they make a very welcome return, with the slight acidity of the creme fraiche at the bottom of the dish offsetting the richness of the egg.

Smoked egg, with truffled soldiers

Silky coco beans wrapped in a creamy veloute, with soft cod, each distinct in their own way, with finely grated alba truffle – heavenly.  The ventreche (pancetta, pork belly, whichever you prefer) provides a little salty crisp.  Yes, the cod does have that slightly raw texture you get when cooking in this way, but I’m eating it so often this way at the moment that I barely noticed it.

Slow cooked cod, coco beans, white truffle, Ventreche, casserole

Oh my word… See that little slip of mushroom puree, there in the front? With my finger print in it? Yes… That’s because it’s one of my favourite things ever – pure umami, richly intense, perfect in every way.  The beef was tender, there were tiny croutons providing crunchy bursts of sauce-soaked texture, which was rich with madeira and demi-glace.  To top it all (and make it a sauce perigourdine), fresh truffles were shaved over the dish at the table.

Devon Ruby beef, sauce perigourdine,
ceps, (and separately, pommes mousseline)

Inevitably there’s always one dish that I begin to eat before I photograph it – and here it was because the smell from the vanilla in the rice pudding and the truffle was quite intoxicating. Your brain can’t quite rationalise the pairing, but your palate is telling you to shut up and eat it! Very unusual combination, the texture of the truffle is slightly incongruous with the soft, sweet grains of rice, but hey, the flavour and scent more than make up for that.

(Partially eaten) Vanilla, white truffle, Devon cream, rice pudding

All my notes say is that pear and truffle are amazing together.  No more than that, but with a number of exclamation points.  There was a catalan cream, smooth and light, with a pear granita, and softly poached pear… The pine adds an additional spike in the scent, and the sugar shard further texture.

Pear, pine, crème Catalan, black truffle sugar

The real skill in this menu is combining so many truffle elements, whilst remaining true to each dish as an individual entity. Truffles were served in a myriad of ways, and eating at Alyn’s as often as we do, it’s very evident that his menu’s are improving, his experimentation is paying off, and his palate is excellent. (And he gave me a little bit of my favourite miso eel at the beginning of the meal. I could eat that forever!)

This truffle menu is available for a limited time at £180 per head (though having just been to a restaurant where the supplement was £70 per dish, it certainly isn’t overpriced!)  The restaurant also offers a tasting menu at £60 per head, and a lunch menu at £25 for three courses.  With inspired service from the lovely Gian-Carlo Princi, and a glittery carpet – what more could you ask for?

Alyn Williams at the Westbury
37 Conduit Street
The Westbury Mayfair Hotel
London W1S 2YF

Alyn Williams at The Westbury on Urbanspoon